Painful Memories
by Rebel Without An Existence
Summary: When Greeton threatens to take over Airyglyph and Aquaria by force, Albel Nox must take part in war again when memories of his past start to haunt him. AlbelxNel too! Story complete. Sequel coming!
1. The Elicoorians Unite

_**This is one of my fan fictions. I have many others, but I got rid of them because they generally stunk. Well, this is a Star Ocean: Till the End of Time fan fiction based around my fave character, Albel Nox. He's awesome! (Sorry Roger) Just so you know, the first bit of this chapter is centered around Roger, but that's only to get it going. This chapter is not really all about Albel, but in the next chapters, they will be. Well, maybe I'd better go on already. Just be sure to leave me a review on how you thought it was. Here's the first chapter! Enjoy! **_

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**Chapter 1: The Elicoorians Unite**

"Come on, guys! Hurry up!"

"Wait, we can't run that fast!"

"Oxygen..."

"You guys are weenies! This is exactly why I'm the leader! Right?"

"Yep. That's right, Roger."

"Uh, Melt? You didn't answer."

"... Let me... breathe... Yes... you're right... Can't... breathe..."

"Um, isn't this the Moonshadow Clan's hideout?"

"Sure is! I will get my revenge by myself this time. I don't need Fayt, that beautiful red read lady, or that big muscular butthead to defeat the leader. I can do it!"

"Then why did you bring us along?"

"Lookouts!"

"... Goooo... dyyyyy... "

"Now, yell if ya'll see anyone suspicious. Oh, and if you see a big blonde guy, call me. I'll get my revenge on him if he shows his face. Yes I will!"

"Gotcha."

"... cough... gasp..."

Roger bravely walked into the hideout with his two friends, Dribe and Melt, as lookouts. Dribe was already on the job while Melt was practically passed out by a tree.

The Menodix leader searched around the empty hideout not amused at all.

"Oh, come on! Where is that stupidhead?" he said putting his hands on his hips.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Roger and shoved him into a cage. He looked up to see the Moonshadow leader and a couple of his goons. They all stared at him with hungry looks.

"We's have ya'll now, Dixie Man!" said the leader with his dagger-like sword in hand.

"It's Menodix, ya moron! And I'm too young to die! Hey, what happened to my lookouts?"

"Dunno, but we's gonna reeducate ya good! Hyuck, hyuck! Clan, get him!"

Meanwhile, Dribe and Melt ran for it. They were already in the Sanmite Steppe heading for Peterny oddly.

"We have to get help!" Dribe said running as fast as his legs could take him.

"Aren't we going the wrong way, Dribe?"

"I don't care! Just run until you see a really strong guy who'll help us poor, defenseless kids out!"

"Roger!... Ahh, Roger! Don't worry, we'll save you!"

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"What are you looking at, fool?"

"Hmph, why are you even in here, human?"

"I don't know but you have my attention."

"Sir Albel, you might want to, how do I say this, back off. His Majesty's dragon won't take your attitude for very long."

"You just keep guard and keep your mouth shut."

"Yes, Sir."

"Hmm, this is quite boring now. Maybe I'll just leave."

Oddeye snapped and growled.

"I'm going, maggot. Don't be so hostile now."

Albel calmly left the cave of Oddeye, Airyglyph XIII's dragon. He was bored enough to confront a dragon but really didn't have an apparent reason to. Boredom made you do strange things.

He continued into the rest of the second floor where the King of Airyglyph sat in his throne. Albel ignored the king and went downstairs. The maids in the hall busily strutted all over in his path to the watchtower. Other guards, mainly Black Brigade soldiers, stood proudly at their posts. He ignored them all as well.

Soon, Albel was staring out over the town. He watched the normal folk carry out their daily chores down on the streets. He watched the little children run around in the snow despite the fact it was below zero. Actually, the cold was getting to him already.

He started to head back into the castle when he heard screaming from down below. Albel saw the yells were from two wierd little kids waving their arms around like idiots. He looked closer. Tails?

"Utter nonsense," he mumbled to himself. "It must be the cold getting to my senses. I'm going before I go mental as well."

The soldier sauntered back into the foyer of the first floor. Just as he stepped in, the two kids practically ran over him.

"Oh, sorry mister," said one of them, the rather fat one.

"We need to rescue our leader. So we're looking for someone who can beat up the Moonshadow Clan," explained the other one, the skinny one.

"I hope Roger's okay."

"Roger?" asked Albel suddenly interested.

"Yep, he's our leader. Got captured again."

"And it was our fault! Man, I hate us!"

"I know that annoying little brat. I'm not surprised he's in a predicament."

"HE KNOWS ROGER!"

"Settle down, Melt... YOU KNOW ROGER!"

"Um, could you help us rescue him? Pwease?"

"We're just defenseless kids!"

"Roger's a great leader! We can't live without him!"

"Those meanie bandits will do horrible things to him!"

"You gotta help!"

"Help us or I'll sit on you!"

"You're already sitting on him."

"Oh yeah..."

Albel dwelled on this problem. _They might be annoying little brats convincing me to help break out the biggest brat of them all, _he thought,_ but at least it'll give me something to do. I'd rather not waste away here anyway. _

"Fine, I'll do it. Just get off of me."

"Yay!"

"You rock, mister!"

"Albel, the name's Albel."

The three later set out of the town of Airyglyph. They passed into Kirlsa and then through Peterny. Soon after leaving the Sanmite Steppe, they were back in Duggus Forest.

"This is like being a spy on a mission!" exclaimed Dribe.

"Yeah, like the Crimson Blade people of Aquaria," Melt added.

Albel was obviously not interested in this topic. He wanted action. He wanted to pull the Sword of the Crimson Scourge out of its sheath. He wanted to dominate, win, kill something. But no, he was forced to wait with two little Menodix boys.

"I feel like singing!"

"Uh, Melt?"

"Secret Menodix men! Secret Menodix men!"

"Watcha gonna do when they come for you?"

"Okay, wrong tune."

"Oops."

"Lets just do our own tune. Umm, we're off to see the leader! The Moonshadow leader!"

"We're off to kick some butt! Some Moonshadow butt!"

"We're off to save Roger! We're off to save Roger!"

"Then we'll kill the leader! Then we'll kill the leader!"

"Then we'll all go home happy!"

"When we finally see the Moonshadow leader! Whoo!"

"ARE YOU MAGGOTS finished?" yelled Albel restraining himself at the end.

"Is our singing that bad?" asked Dribe.

"It's annoying, I'll give you that!"

"Hostile, aren't you?" Melt said not even caring.

"You have no idea."

"Well, we're here."

Melt pointed to the shack that was the Moonshadow Clan's hideout. The three peeked through a bush to see if the coast was clear. To their surprise, the stairs and pretty much the general area around the hideout was littered with Moonshadow goons all passed out. Some looked dead.

"What happened here? Well, I hate to admit it, but whoever did this did a pretty good job of wiping out these pitiful bandits," said the admired Albel.

They went around to the front trying to avoid the bodies all over the ground. The door to the inside was wide open. Some sounds of metal clanging and painful screams were booming out of the entrance. Suddenly, someone came flying landing straight into a tree. It was the Moonshadow leader.

Now intrigued, the three slowly tiptoed up the stairs and peeked inside. A familiar red headed woman was sheathing her daggers. She must have felt like someone was watching her as she turned around to see them staring at her.

"Who are you?... Albel Nox...?" she stuttered relaxing.

"What a 'pleasant' surprise," Albel said.

"What are you doing here? And why are they here?"

"They're the brat's slaves apparently."

"Who's the pretty lady?"

"She's mine, Dribe!" snapped Roger from in the cage. "She's Nel, my beautiful savior."

"Savior, huh?" asked Nel turning around to face Roger. "Who says I'm letting you out of there? I remember what happened last time. We were forced to fight."

"You're not letting me out? Well, I have Dribe and Melt! So, there!"

At the sound of their names, Melt and Dribe started looking for a way to open the cage. They looked troubled.

"Guys, why aren't I free and rubbing it in the pretty lady's face?"

"Sorry, Roger. We can't find a lock to break or anything."

"Wha-? B-But you're the smart one, Melt!"

"Oh, and that makes me dumb?" scowled Dribe.

"I'm stuck in here?"

"Afraid so. Not that I care," mumbled Albel getting bored again with the absence of action.

Roger started whimpering and then exploded into a full blown tear fest.

"Waaaaahh! You people are just plain cold! Why won't you help little ol' me?"

"I thought you were 'a man'. Guess you're pretending. I'm going before I get involved in something I don't need to waste my time in."

"I'm not crying! A... a bee flew in my eye! And then it flew into my other eye! Stupid bee!"

"A bee, huh? I'm going too. My mission has been completed anyway. The Moonshadow Clan won't be going into Peterny anytime soon. Maybe I'll see you again Roger. Farewell."

"No, Nel! Don't leave me! Lemme outta here!"

"I'm going."

"NOOOOOO!"

Nel walked out of the hideout with a mental route back to Aquios in her mind. Albel wasn't too far ahead of her. He was taking his time. Out of nowhere, there was a big boom that made the both of them turn around to see what was happening. Metal came flying out of the roof landing in the trees around the area. A scream could be heard that sounded like Roger.

Dribe and Melt raced out of the hideout speeding toward the exit of the forest. Albel came nearer to where Nel was trying to get a better view of the mess. He shook his head.

"What a fool," he muttered.

Roger stormed out of the door with his axe in hand. He stomped up to the two and pointed his axe at them.

"I am capable of being a man, thank you very much! Beneath my shrimpy size and cuddly tail beats the heart of someone who actually does something with their life, someone who accomplishes stuff! And if I have to tag along with you guys again on another dangerous adventure to prove myself, consider yourselves stuck with me forever! Forever and ever and ever and ever and EVER! Besides, Dribe and Melt just abandoned me..."

"I guess we have no choice again," Nel said a little mixed up.

"Bah, just don't leave me alone with him."

"We should at least take him back to Surferio."

"Hmph."

"You can tag along but when we take you back to Surferio, you had better stay there."

"Yes ma'am!"

And the three went on their way to the Lost City of Surferio.

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_**That's the end of the first chapter. How was it? It'll be more about Albel Nox in the next chapters. This one was really about Nel, Roger, and him. Don't worry! I'll get on it! Chapter II will be coming soon! Don't forget to leave a review! Thanks for reading my fan fic! **_


	2. The Storm

_**Hello! The second chapter is here! I hope you liked the first one enough to even be on this one. I also kinda hope this chapter will be better. Well, the story continues!**_

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**Chapter II: The Storm **

Albel, Nel, and Roger continued their trek exiting the forest and entering the Sanmite Steppe. Roger was hopping along with his fluffy Menodix tail wagging all over the place. Nel was just walking along the grassy plains awaiting Surferio. Albel was doing the same but he was bored unlike her. _Where's the action? Waste of time,_ he thought. _What was the point of coming out here anyway? I didn't have to agree. Well, I'll be going back to Airyglyph soon anyway._

Nel suddenly stopped and looked at the sky.

"What are you stopping for? The sooner we drop off this brat, the better," said Albel.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Roger said walking on without them.

"A storm's coming...," muttered Nel. "A big one... I can feel it..."

"Either that or you're hungry. Would you guys hurry up? I'm all the way over here!"

The sky instantly darkened. The soft wind turned into a gale. Rain started to pour on the three along with some occasional hail.

"This is just great..."

"Save it, Albel. We need to find shelter. It's too dangerous to try to go to Surferio right now."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" came the Menodix running back to the group.

"Come on!"

They ran through the rain which was pouring harder and colder by the minute. Back into Duggus Forest they ran.

"Do you know where ya going? I think I'm getting a cold."

"I'm beginning to think the same thing."

"It should be around here, guys."

Through the torrent of rain and ice there was a black hole in the side of a cliff that none of them (except Nel) had ever seen before. Nel headed for it. Roger and Albel followed with no problem.

"I never noticed this here. But then again, I was always running away from monsters or Moonshadow goons," Roger said plopping his butt on a rock.

"We'll have to stay here until the storm passes," said Nel. "We need to make a fire."

"In case you haven't noticed, we have no firewood and the trees outside are soaked," growled Albel leaning against the cave wall.

"Who says we have to use wood?"

Nel unwrapped the scarf from around her neck. Using runology, she created a small flame from the tip of her index finger and spent a few minutes drying it off. When it was dry, she lit it.

"That should stay lit for a few hours. Hopefully, this storm will end soon."

"I'm hungry... You bring any food?"

"Sorry, Roger. I don't carry food along."

"Awww... Huuungry... Well if we can't eat, what are we gonna do?"

"I have a feeling this storm won't be over for a while."

"How long is 'a while'?" questioned Albel.

"We probably won't be able to leave until morning. It's late, anyway. We should get some sleep and dry off by the fire."

"Good night everyone! I'm beat!"

Roger hopped off to a larger rock. He flopped right on it and immediately went to sleep. Nel shook her head.

"Wierd kid," she said. "I suppose you won't be going to bed any time soon?"

"No, I don't plan to."

"Suit yourself."

Nel spent an hour or two sitting by the flames drying off her soaked clothes. Albel stood by the entrance of the cave staring at the gloomy rain falling in the night's darkness. He thought about the situation. _This rain had better end soon. I refuse to be stuck with these worms for too long. Plus, there's the king. He's always suspicious when I leave for some time without telling him first. He probably will make me train soldiers to keep me at the castle for a while when I come back. Why can't he be fond of someone else? I hate being the favorite._

Eventually, Nel left for the back of the cave to sleep. It seemed she didn't want to sleep in the presence of Albel. She was still a little uneasy around him even after all they had been through in the past. Defeating the Creator, Luther side-by-side with him didn't mean she would fully trust Albel. After all, he had mercilessly killed hundreds of innocent Aquarians in his past. Hundreds of her fellow people without question, without regret, without mercy.

Through all of Roger's snoring and the sound of the unrelenting rain, Albel eventually grew tired. Of course there were not very many places to lie down comfortably. He settled on lying against one of the cave walls. _How uncomfortable. Oh well, sooner I wake up, sooner I can get out of here, _he thought and closed his eyes.

During that sleep, he had a dream. The dream was rather familiar, like it had happened in real life before. That's because it had. It was a memory of his past. And it was far from a dream. It was a nightmare.

_A fifteen year old Albel Nox and his father, Glou Nox, walked through the Ruins of Barr on their way to the Dwelling of Crosell. It was time for Albel's Accession of the Flame ceremony to take place. If he succeeded in this event, he would take his place among the knights of the Dragon Brigade like his father and even those before Glou. It seemed every Nox in the family ended up in the Dragon Brigade. Albel planned to do the same and ride on top of a proud dragon._

_"You're awfully quiet, son," said Glou looking at Albel. "Nervous?"_

_"Sort of. The chances of being accepted by an air dragon are very slim. And if I fail-"_

_"Don't think about failure. That's one of the things you should never think about. Thinking about it will only make failure imminent, you understand?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Dragons might be a little picky, but if you are honest and fight for the right reasons, no harm can come to you. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine."_

_"I hope you're right."_

_They finally approached the Urssa Lava Caves. With a little hesitation, they went in avoiding the lava pools around them._

_"A little word before you start the ceremony, the people we brought with us back there? They are just there because they have to be here. They need to be here to witness this. Just another part of tradition. They aren't the judges here, though, so concentrate on the dragon. The dragon is all that matters now."_

_"I know, you told me already. Several times, too."_

_"I just don't want you to forget."_

_Soon, the small group entered Crosell's lair looking upon the dormant dragon lord. Several dragons were standing proudly staring at the visitors. Albel could feel his heart pounding harder. His father and the others that had accompanied him stood near the entrance of the lair watching as Albel slowly walked up to the middle of the floor. He could hear his heart now. _

_An air dragon stood before him. It started to speak._

_"Young knight, it is time for you to perform the Accession of the Flame. You must answer a series of questions. Your answers will decide your fate, lest it be death or life."_

_"I know. I'm ready."_

_"Very well. We shall begin."_

_His heart thumped slowly._

_"First, what matters the most in your life?"_

_"Umm..."_

_Thump..._

_"It's..."_

_Thump..._

"_Succeeding matters most. There's nothing more enjoyable than winning and knowing you've done soemthing worthwhile."_

_Thump..._

_"Very well. Second, what do you think your purpose in life is? What do you think you live for?"_

_"I... I..."_

_Thump..._

_"I live to serve my country like my ancestors. I live only to be apart of the Dragon Brigade."_

_"Hmm. Alright, how strong do you think you are?"_

_Thump..._

_"I am one of the best. Some of the other soldiers shouldn't even be in the military compared to me. I was taught by the best." _

_The air dragon continued to ask questions. Albel became more and more nervous as the questions kept coming. His heart thumped louder and slower. Sweat began to run down his face. He could feel the eyes of the humans and dragons boring into him. He thought he heard himself lie to a question or two._

_Finally, the last question was asked._

_"Lastly, young knight. What do you despise the most? What do you hate more than anything in this world?"_

_Thump... thump... thump..._

_"I hate those who get in my way. I hate those who think they are better and shoo me away. I also hate those who think I am just a charity case, just think I get special treatment because I am the son of Glou Nox."_

_"That's your answer? Are you sure?"_

_"Yes, as sure as I'll ever be."_

_"So it is. You may complete the ceremony."_

_"Dragon, will you fight along side with me? Will you fight with me until we may die? Will you fly with me through the skies?"_

_The dragon paused for a moment. Then it started to growl. The other air dragons started to swarm around with anger burning in their eyes. The others brought along to witness this ceremony gasped and started stepping away. Glou stood still not knowing what to do._

_"Albel!" he yelled._

_"Imbecile! You call yourself a knight? Beneath your skin lies your selfish heart and even greedier soul! You may be great, you may be the best in the army, but your heart is the weakest I've ever seen! Shouldn't loved ones matter more? Shouldn't your purpose have more meaning? Shouldn't gloating be one of the last things you do? Shouldn't hate matter not? Your hubris will not go unpunished! The selfish words you muttered today are the last you will have ever spoken!"_

_Albel didn't see any reason to fight back. He was going to die. He was going to die at this very spot. He would never live to see his father ever again._

_As the dragon reared back with the other ones stepping aside, Albel closed his eyes and flinched for the oncoming flames. He could hear them coming closer, closer. But as he heard screams of pain, he opened his eyes. What he saw was his father. His father was in front of him, in the way of the fire, burning._

_Albel realized his father was dying... for him. He watched stunned and silenced as Glou Nox fell to the ground lifeless knowing that he would never rise again. Albel should have died but instead, it was his father lying lifeless upon the now bloodstained ground. _

_The dragon was not done breathing its fury, however. The young knight looked away from his father and the flame was coming onto him. He moved this time thinking of Glou's sacrifice. But he was too late as the flame scorched his left arm. _

_The dragon ceased fire as Albel collapsed on the ground in pain screaming. The last thing he could remember was the desperate cries from the others, the flapping of the air dragons flying away, and the pain in his arm. Before he completely went unconscious, Albel could feel two tears emerge from his eyes and slowly run down his face. They silently hit the ground as he closed his eyes once more._

_"Father..."_

Back in the cave, he felt someone slightly shaking him. Someone's voice was waking him.

"Albel? Albel, wake up!"

He awoke to Nel's worried face and Roger's intrigued one. He was a little confused.

"Good, you're awake," said Nel sighing in relief.

"What happened?"

"Well, for starters, I was sleeping peacefully until I heard moaning. Then I woke up and saw you shaking like you were having a seizure. Naturally, I woke up Nel who naturally woke you up. Now we're here," Roger explained. "I was having a nice dream too..."

"You're sure you are okay though, right? I was worried about the shaking. And you're sweating a lot."

"I'm okay. I was just... having an extremely bad nightmare."

"A nightmare? It must have been really unpleasant. I suppose you wouldn't want to tell us about it?"

"Anyone wanna hear about my dream?"

"Roger..." said Nel annoyed.

"Okay, I really didn't want to talk about it anyway. But it was soooo awesome! There was this chicken-"

"Roger, we need to focus on things more important than your dream."

"Fine, be that way."

Albel sat up but faced away from the two.

"You're sure you're fine?" asked Nel again. "Because I can help..."

She started to approach him but Albel promptly shoved Nel away.

"Fool, I can handle a nightmare. I do not need your help. I don't need your charity either."

Nel was obviously mad now. She started for the back of the cave again as Albel layed back down.

"I tried to be nice, I tried to get along, I really tried to accept you and forgive at that moment because of your condition. But I see you will never change, Albel Nox. And for that, I can never forgive you for all that you've done! Someday you'll end up all alone. All you'll have is you. All you'll have is yourself to blame for it," she mumbled as she disappeared into the shadows.

Albel wasn't at all enthralled but he decided to ignore her. He went back into his slumber but found he had trouble. The images of the flame, the blood, the father kept coming back and refused to leave. He couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.

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_**How was it? I hope it's good. Chapter III is coming soon. And please leave a review. I need to know how this chapter and story is so far. Note that a lot of the stuff in this chapter and in the rest of this story will be made-up. I can tell you that this chapter was made from imagination because the game never showed you what an Accession of the Flame ceremony looked like. And there was never a cave in the Duggus Forest. Just so you know. Hope you'll continue reading my story! **_


	3. It Begins

_**Here's the third chapter. I will now answer some requests and questions. Lets see...**_

_**Here's one, is there gonna be any fluff? Well, I do not plan to have Albel coupled with Nel or with anyone for that matter. Don't you agree there has been enough stories with them together already? Albel is solo in my story. **_

_**And what is with Roger's dream about the chicken? It's for laughs. Roger's just a little kid. Don't be mean.**_

_**Lets see, I am accepting anonymous reviews. It's just that no one that would be considered anonymous has left a review. I accept any reviews of my story. And thanks for that compliment!**_

_**I will try harder to add more details. I am the kind of person who likes to get straight to the point and skip all the other junk. But I understand there are others who read this besides me.**_

_**About the having trouble telling who's talking... I try not to put too many he said, asked, etc. tags. It's a little repetitive and it makes the story duller by adding the same verb over and over, but I'll see what I can do.**_

_**Well, I'll just get to the chapter. Thanks for the reviews and compliments! Hope you enjoy!**_

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**Chapter III: It Begins **

"Come on, Albel! It's time for me to go home!"

"Roger, leave him alone. He had a rough night."

"But he's taking so darn long! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"I swear..."

Roger was obviously anxious to get home but a little problem was in his way. Albel had finally fallen asleep only a few hours before and was still asleep by the time Nel and Roger had already awoken. The Menodix wasn't pleased with this.

He poked at Albel's nose.

"Come on. Wake up, Sleepy Head!" he said poking more and more.

Albel turned over facing the cave wall. Roger became aggrivated.

"WAKE UP ALREADY!"

He kicked Albel right in the back of the head rather hard.

"Roger!" scolded Nel.

"He asked for it!" said Roger.

"You didn't have to kick him in the head."

"It's either my foot in his head or my axe!"

Albel turned back over and sat up now awake. He glared at Roger as he rubbed his head.

"I'll let you off, but next time I'll make you food for the maggots," he said.

"I don't wanna die! Can we please leave so he doesn't have a chance to kill me?"

"Well, you're finally awake. Did you sleep well?" asked Nel.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Cranky, are we? Maybe we'd better leave. Come on guys."

The three set out for the Sanmite Steppe once again. The sun was shining bright with no clouds to be seen. Once on the steppe, they could see the river was much wider.

Soon, Roger was waving good-bye back in Surferio. Nel and Albel went to Peterny afterwards. In the center of town, she headed north.

"My mission is complete. I must be going back to Aquios now," she had said before parting.

Albel really didn't care and headed south for Airyglyph. _Finally, I can go in peace. Hopefully the king didn't notice my absence, _he thought. _But I'm hoping too much._

He continued on his way through the Palmira Plains, Arias, the Aire/ Kirlsa Hills, and finally Kirlsa. Albel went through the Traum Mountains.

As he finally approached the bridge connecting to Airyglyph, he thought he heard a whirring sound from above. Albel looked up behind him to see something small and black. It was barely noticable but it gradually became larger.

Albel pulled out his sword out of a strong instinct that whatever it was in the sky was dangerous. He saw that the black object had a lit fuse.

"A bomb?" he mumbled to himself. "It seems a little off."

Then he realized it was bound for the city. Just then, he heard an explosion. Albel looked behind him to see fire erupting from the city. There was another boom and more flame from another area. He saw another pillar of flame from the bomb that he had just seen.

"What is going on?"

Albel heard another whir. It sounded closer to him. But before he could see what it was, there was an explosion very close to where he was standing. He felt only a few seconds of pain before he became unconscious.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up in bed with a nurse by his side.

"You're awake," she said. "How are you feeling?"

Albel didn't answer. This was all so sudden. First he was on the bridge watching fire spawn from inside the city of Airyglyph and now he was lying in bed aching all over. What was going on here?

"Judging by your silence, I guess you don't know what is going on," said the nurse.

"What is happening?" he asked.

"Aquaria and Airyglyph are currently under attack."

"Under attack? By who?"

He didn't wait for her to answer. Albel bolted out of bed ignoring how painful each step he took was. He noticed all the wounds on his body. Only some of them were in bandages while the others left very visible blood.

His first thought was to find the king. Then Albel thought, _I'm talking to the king presented like this? _But he didn't care enough now. He just wanted answers.Soon, he found Airyglyph XIII who looked quite surprised to see him.

"Albel? What are you doing? You are not well," the king said.

"Who's attacking us?" Albel demanded staring the king straight in the eye.

"So you've heard. Indeed, we are under attack. But I believe it is best if I told you more after you are in better condition."

"No, tell me now."

"Please Albel, listen. You are not in a good state. It seems you were hit by one of those exploding devices that landed in our town. You must rest and ease your mind for the time being."

"No! Answer me! Airyglyph is as much my concern as it is yours. I have the right to know now!"

"Very well. We have had reports from Aquaria that they have been under attack recently. Soon after we recieved the news, we were attacked as well. Luckily, only three explosions were reported in the city. Another good thing is that no one in the city was injured. You were the only one."

"But who was it that attacked us?"

"Our reports confirm it was Greeton."

"Greeton? But they have shut themselves off from the world! And what did we do to enrage them?"

"We do not know right now. The strangest thing is how they managed to launch those attacks without any sight of their people."

"They didn't send any troops into our borders?"

"No. I do not see how they sent those bombs all the way from Greeton. They do have a higher technological level than we do, but we believe it is not that much higher."

Albel became silent and looked away from the king. _What did we do? We haven't attacked anyone besides Aquaria and that was a long time ago, _he thought. _Greeton hasn't had contact with the rest of Elicoor II for centuries. Why would they want to start now when there isn't an apparent reason to? Does this mean... there will be another war? The biggest war this country has ever seen?_

His thoughts were interupted when a Black Brigade soldier walked into the audience chamber. He handed a scroll to Airyglyph XIII. The king examined it carefully, his eyes becoming a little wider in surprise.

"The Sanmite Republic was attacked too but the bombs didn't get very close to their borders," he announced. "The main cities of the republic are beyond reach so they think Greeton will give up on them for the time being."

"Why is this happening? We didn't do anything. And now the Sanmite Republic was a target?" said Albel getting more confused the more he dwelled on the problem.

"We will have to enter war once more. Airyglyph's future is at stake as well as Aquaria's. But we shall all discuss this later. Albel, you must rest now that you know. We'll have a conference when you are better."

He couldn't argue now that the questions he had asked were answered. Albel walked away not knowing or caring where he was going; he had forgotten what room he had stormed out of. Only after a few minutes of sauntering around, the nurse found him.

Albel once again was back in bed with the nurse tending to whatever wounds he had. Even after all the explaining, he was still very confused. It wasn't only about what had happened to him. It was also about this war that Airyglyph XIII was going to declare. It was about why Greeton had a sudden thirst to attack the continent of Gaitt. He couldn't take all the unanswered questions. Why was this happening?

He dwelled on in thought. _More war? I always enjoyed war and I still do. But not at as much as in the past. People may not see it, but I have changed somewhat. War doesn't seem too enjoyable at the moment. And that nightmare triggered by memories of my past... What if more come? What if Aquaria and Airyglyph are forced to resort to bloodshed for the sake of our future? All those years... killing because it was my duty... bathing in my victims' blood because it was my duty... risking life because it was my duty... And it wasn't too long ago I ended my travels with Fayt and the others. They taught me there's more to life than killing. I secretly listened too. I earned their trust. I helped save the universe from the evil that threatened to destroy it. Evil was what people said I was. Destruction was what I used to do best. But do I have to give all that up because of what's happening now? If I must, so be it. If I must slaughter again, I will. But... it's such a waste. Maybe I don't have to do this by myself. There has to be some way to bring back the group. They can help. Maybe they can't fight a war this big, although I highly doubt that, but with them being nearby, my mind might rest easier. There are some things we all must resort to, and in my case, old allies. Sure, I've changed but not everything about me has. They are all still worms._

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_**That chapter was a little shorter, but the next ones won't be this short. They will have a lot more action too. And a whole lot of other junk! Please leave a review. BTW, I think the last chapter was better than this one. But that's because there wasn't very much action in this one. Well, hope you continue reading my story! **_


	4. Reunion

**_Here is the next chapter in my story. I am happy to announce that there will be fluff, in otherwords, this is now an AlbelxNel story._**

_**Lets see. No one has asked any other questions about the story. There's the romance issue but I already said I was putting in fluff.**_

_**Well, might as well get on. Thanks for the continued support! Enjoy Chapter IV! **_

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**Chapter IV: Reunion**

It had been a few days since he had found out about Greeton's surprise aggression. He was planning on doing something about the upcoming war. He wasn't going to fight alone. Today was the day.

Albel was finally up on his feet again after lying in bed the last few days. Now that he was fully recovered, he knew exactly what he was going to do today and that was to find a way to bring the group back together. Fayt, Sophia, Cliff, Maria, Nel, Peppita, Roger, Mirage, Adray, he was going to unite them all someway.

He sauntered out of the castle bound for Aquios. Nel was most likely in Castle Aquaria. Adray would probably be there too. Then from there, they could pick up Roger. Of course, he had no idea about the six. They were all on other planets out of reach. Albel didn't believe that Airyglyph or Aquaria had the technology to contact them either.

"Wait Albel!" yelled a voice.

Albel turned around to see the king. Airyglyph XIII approached him.

"You aren't going to stay for the conference? A few days ago, that's all that you wanted to happen. You were demanding to know more," said the king.

"I have more important things to do," Albel answered. "What I'm doing may help in our side being victorious in this war."

"Very well. We could use all the help we can get. Carry on, then."

"You mean you're going to actually let me go?"

"You better go now before I change my mind."

Albel walked off at those words. He was thinking of how to contact the others as he exited Airyglyph. _We don't have celestial ships. I don't even know where the others reside anyway. So really it wouldn't do me any good even if I had one. _

He slowly entered Kirlsa still deep in thought. _We don't have communicators like Maria had. She could contact anyone. Too bad I live on a backwater planet. Maybe I should consider going to Greeton..._

Albel was now leaving Arias and heading into the Palmira Plains. _Is there anything on this planet that can contact anyone? After all the influence of Fayt, and blah, blah, blah, no one has tried to invent greater technology? We'll be stuck with lums and letters forever. There has to be someone with a solution._

Albel stopped in Peterny's town square. The sun was starting to set and the streets were gradually getting less lively.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," he said to himself. "I'm surprised I even care! Why am I even out here? I never needed anyone in the past. What has changed that now? And yet, through all the asking and denying, I still have a feeling to have them around. It's like I'll go crazy if they aren't here to fight in our continent's war. They've poisoned me, the worthless maggots."

He was interupted by the sound of a door slamming against a wall. Albel turned to see two people storm out into the streets. There was an short, old man holding a plate of something green and very gross-looking. He was offering the plate to a young girl taller than him holding in her hand... something that looked like a communicator.

"Come on! Try it! I invented it myself!" exclaimed the old man shoving the plate into her face.

"Get that away from me! I bet you just invented a new type of poison!" the girl said backing away.

"I call it 'The Guild Master's Ultimate Surprise!'"

"The surprise is whether you'll be poisoned or if you'll die instead!"

_She has a communicator? Maybe if I help her out of this little problem, she'll offer her services. If she doesn't, I'll do it the old fashioned way. Might as well give her a chance before resorting to force._

"I see you two are in a bit of a predicament," he said getting their attention.

"Yes! This is a huge problem!" said the girl storming over to him.

"What problem? There isn't a problem, is there Welch?" the old man asked.

"Who are you anyway? Wait, you're Albel the Wicked!" Welch exclaimed in surprise. "You're not gonna slice me in two, are you!"

"No, actually," said Albel. "I just need your help with a little something."

"Are you hungry? 'Cause I got a heaping plate of heaven here!" offered the old guy who shoved the plate in Albel's face.

"I'll help you if you help the Guild Master with his 'plate of heaven.'"

_I'm not liking where this is going. _

"Which means?"

"Which means you have to try his dish! He won't quit until somebody tries it."

"Okay..."

_I am not going to like this... _The Guild Master handed him the plate. The smell of whatever it was burned his nose. _I am not going to like this at all... Wait a second. I don't have to eat this. Force will always be the way to go. Why am I being nice? Again, the effects of their poison works. I'm losing my touch. _

Albel threw the plate over the short Guild Master's head. It shattered into a nearby wall breaking into thousands of white (and green) shards on the ground. He glared at the Guild Master and then at Welch. The old man ran behind her in fear.

"Welch, I think your friend wants to talk to you," he stuttered cowering behind her back.

"Okay, I'm through with being nice. I have to get a job done. And I'll need this," Albel said grabbing the communicator out of Welch's hand.

"Hey! That's mine!" Welch whined.

"Tough luck, maggot."

And with that, Albel stormed off tightly clutching the communicator. He headed north bound for Aquios. He decided that if he was going to get the portion of the group on his planet first, he might as well save Roger for last.

By now, the sun was barely visible over the horizon. The darkness left behind in it's imminent absence covered the Irisa Fields. _I'll have to finish this tomorrow unless Zelpher insists on pushing me to pick up Roger. I highly doubt that, though, _he thought to himself while avoiding the obstacles hiding in the darkness.

Soon, he reached the Moonlit Bridge. The bridge was illuminated by the lanterns dotting its edges. Albel saw the proud Castle Aquaria in the distance standing tall and overshadowing the city in its greatness. That was his next stop.

He entered the empty city. Albel walked past the houses lining the streets. They were all so quaint with their windows glowing in candle light. It sort of made him wish he had had one night like that inside a peaceful home bathing in the warmth. But unfortunately, his life was never like that nor would it ever be. He moved on averting his gaze to the castle.

The castle gates were open oddly. Albel just walked in approaching the beautiful interior that was Castle Aquaria. Now was the challenge of finding Nel and Adray in this large place. He could see that the hallways were filled with an endless amount of doors leading to an equally large amount of rooms.

"Isn't this going to be fun," mumbled Albel sarcastically.

He entered the left hallway starting his search. _I can't just barge into all these rooms. There has to be an easier way to locate her without accidently walking in on something I don't wanna see. _His train of thought was interupted by a lone runologist heading down the hall from the stairs. The runologist saw Albel and gasped.

"What are you doing in here?" she (the runologist) asked in surprise. "Get out, intruder!"

"Don't you know who I am?" said Albel calmly.

"You're dead!"

"That's a laugh. Finally, some action."

Albel pulled out the Crimson Scourge as the runologist started to prepare a spell. She released an Ice Needles spell which Albel dodged easily. He rushed at the runologist promptly shoving her into a door instead of just slashing her in two.

"You can do better than that, can't you?" Albel asked smiling in his evil way.

The door he had shoved the runologist into opened to reveal two more runologists who looked quite surprised.

"Do you mind?" asked one of them. "We are discussing an important matter and would like peace."

"Who's that?" the other one inquired.

"Intruder!" said the first runologist of the entire bunch. "Show no mercy!"

"This is enjoyable," Albel said smiling even more.

_The old lust for battle has come back. I guess they haven't poisoned my mind after all. _

Meanwhile elsewhere in the castle, Nel calmly walked down the marble hallway. She was heading for her room to turn in for the night. She reached for the doorknob when she heard a peculiar sound. There was screaming and the sounds of spells being set off. There was slashing sounds as well.

"What in the world?" Nel asked searching for the sounds.

Nel cautiously walked along the walls until she reached the corner leading into the left hallway. Suddenly, something large flew into the wall across from her. It was a fellow runologist with a bleeding slash on one of their arms.

She was tempted to help, but instead peered around the corner. To her surprise, it was Albel Nox fighting a small group of runologists.

(Back to him...) Albel dodged yet another spell. More runologists had come out to stop him but they were doing a rather poor job of it. He had already managed to knock out three of the eight that had challenged him. He had even left a slash on one of them. _I might as well go easy on them. They are helpless worms that need a little charity. _

Albel grabbed a runologist by their shirt collar. He threw him against the wall headfirst. He retaliated against an oncoming physical attack from another with a backwards sword thrust. He heard a scream and knew he had landed the blow.

He prepared to strike the runologist he had just thrown on the ground; he was done with his charity.

"Stop this!" yelled a voice.

Albel stopped in midstrike and turned around to see Nel. She was obviously furious.

"Oh, hello. I've been searching for you," he said putting up his sword.

"What are you doing? Do you have to cause a scene everywhere you go?" she scolded staring him straight in his blood red eyes.

"The castle guards thought I was an intruder and attacked. So, I played along."

"You can't kill people just for fun! You really haven't changed."

"Lady Nel!" exclaimed one of the runologists. "What shall we do to him?"

"Nothing. Go take care of the wounded. I'll deal with him."

"Yes, Lady Nel."

They remaining guards followed their orders while Nel continued to confront Albel.

"You make me so furious! I can't believe I ever traveled with you to save the universe and not have killed you out of my frustration!" she continued to yell.

"You, kill me? You dream big, Zelpher."

"Your attitude, your ways, your bloodthirsty nature, your everything! I can't stand it!"

Nel stood still staring at he ground. She was shaking with rage. Her fists were tightened. All of this amused Albel. He couldn't restrain himself from laughing. He laughed loudly. He laughed continually. He laughed in his evil way of laughing. She couldn't take it anymore.

Nel pulled out her daggers, the Blades of Ryusen. Before he could react, she stabbed Albel in his side. He immediately stopped laughing and screamed for a second slowly sinking toward the ground until he was standing on one knee.

"Cheap shot," he muttered through his pain.

"Nel, stop this fighting now," ordered a female's voice.

Nel glanced toward the stairs and gasped. Albel was too preoccupied to look for himself who it was.

"Your Majesty!" she said.

The Queen of Aquaria, Aquaria XXVII, walked down the stairs with her face in a serious demeanor. She looked quite displeased with what she saw.

"Your Majesty, I was just-"

"I can see what you have done, Nel. And I must say I am disappointed with what I see."

"I am sorry. I was just so frustrated. I mean it's him-"

"That is no excuse. You two may have a bit of a rivalry going on, but that is no reason to resort to violence. You've just sunk down to his level of doing things."

Nel perked up at those words. She quickly pulled her dagger out of Albel's side and walked, almost running, away out of sight. She seemed to be hiding something on her way out but had disappeared too fast. Albel stood back up with his right hand over his bleeding wound.

"Can I assist you?" asked Aquaria XXVII.

"I don't need your help," he mumbled walking off.

He couldn't believe he had spoken to the Queen of Aquaria the way he had. But he really didn't care as she was not his queen. She was not his ruler. He was tired of charity.

Albel had remembered where the guest room was, at least. He went inside and sat on the bed. He slowly moved his hand away from the gash. His hand was covered in blood.

"At least there isn't blood on my clothing," he said. "At least not yet anyway."

He sighed.

"Why am I even bothering to bring everyone back together? They can't help us win. We don't even need their help anyway. With the runologists and the military of Airyglyph, we will easily vanquish that Greeton scum. But still... I'll just forget about this. I'll just have to go back to the king and say I couldn't get any cooperation which is sort of true. Look at Zelpher, here. She actually had the nerve to stab me right in front of my face. Should've seen it coming."

He heard the slight creaking of the guest room door opening. Albel saw that it was from Nel.

"I knew I'd find you in here," she said shutting the door behind her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm still bleeding. Do you think I'm fine?"

"Look, I came to say I was sorry. I let my anger control me. Even if you are you, I didn't have the right to stab you."

"Well, if that's it-"

"I'm not done. How's your wound?"

She didn't wait for him to answer. Nel walked over to his side and saw for herself.

"I see I overdid it. Let me help."

"I don't need your charity."

"You know you want my help. You just won't admit it."

And she was right. Albel secretly did want someone to heal this wound. He wasn't going to tell anyone, though.

"Hold still."

"Didn't I just say I didn't want your help?"

"I am helping you no matter what you say. I have to pay you back somehow."

Nel waved her hand in the air in a pattern. The ends of her fingers glowed in a holy light. She ran them across his wound making him flinch a bit in pain. After the light vanished, the wound was completely gone.

"There. You can have this back," she said handing him the communicator.

"Where did you get this from?"

"I snuck it when I left. I've seen these before. Some girl named Welch Vineyard and the Guild Master use them."

"What did you do with it?"

"I called some old friends."

_Can this women read minds or something?_

"What did you call the others for?"

"Help, of course. Why did you have the communicator?"

"None of your business."

"Does this have to do with that nightmare? I remember before you didn't want anything from the others at all."

_She is a mind reader. I feel so violated._

"Well, I know you want them here. Like it or not, they are arriving in the next day or two. You are welcome to stay here until they arrive. Good night."

Nel left the room probably heading for her room. Albel continued to just sit on the bed. _Well, at least my job is done. But how did she know how to use this thing? I don't really care right now. Might as well just get some sleep. _He layed down on a pillow and closed his eyes.

The next morning, he heard a little commotion outside of the room. A maid walked in suddenly.

"Oh, I didn't know there was someone in here," she said. "You're missing all the excitement outside. It seems old allies have just come back to help in this war. They are in the White Dew Garden upstairs."

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_**That chapter was a little long but I had to make up for that last shorter chapter. The action is coming very soon. (I mean it!) Well, I gotta go and start on Chapter V. Please leave a review. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and overall story! **_


	5. The Day Before Tomorrow

_**Here is Chapter V. Sorry it took so long to update. I've been distracted. I hope you have enjoyed my story so far for those who have read up to this point. I looked on my Hits thing and the number halves on each chapter. It was like this: Chapter I four hundred something; Chapter II two hundred something; Chapter III seventy something and blah, blah, blah.**_

_**Before going on, I would like to thank those who've read my story all the way. It seems like there are only die hard fans reading now. I am thankful for your continued support. **_

_**Well, I'll be moving on now. Enjoy Chapter V! **_

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**Chapter V: The Day Before Tomorrow**

_So they're back already? _Albel thought as he walked down the halls heading for the stairs. _Well, at least I was saved the hassle of doing the job myself. But how did she know? I want to know._

He reached the audience chamber. The queen was not sitting on the throne at the moment. The only other living soul in the room was Magistrate Lasselle. He was just standing in his usual post with his same serious face staring off into nowhere.

Albel opened the doors leading to the White Dew Garden. His first sight was what he had expected. Aquaria XXVII's back was turned to him as she gazed upon the entire group. Fayt and Sophia were happily chatting away with Nel. Peppita was prancing around enjoying what little the garden had to offer. Maria, Cliff, and Mirage stood around appearing to be waiting for something. Suprisingly, Adray wasn't there.

Nel slightly turned her head and saw Albel out of the corner of her eye. She quickly faced away resuming her conversation with Fayt and Sophia.

"What do you know?" said Cliff seeing him. "He's here. About time. I was wondering when you would show."

The rest of the group, including the queen, looked his way as well.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Fayt said. "Nel called us here. So Greeton really is attacking your country as well as hers?"

"I'm sorry to interupt this reunion," said the queen, "but I have arranged a feast for all of you. Once we have all eaten a bit, we can discuss the situation further."

Everyone seemed to agree and followed Aquaria XXVII inside. They were all wondering where they were going to eat and it seemed the feast was being held in the queen's audience chamber. A long table covered in a red table cloth sat in the middle of the marble floor. Several chairs had been placed along the edges.

As he sat in a chair, Albel realized how hungry he was all of a sudden. He hadn't eaten since he left Airyglyph yesterday after finally healing. Now he knew why he was going soft these last few days. It was because he didn't have enough energy to even mock other people let alone kill anything. And that's the reason he almost tried the Guild Master's 'plate of heaven.' It was out of hunger. But then how come he managed to pull off that episode with the runologists last night? He was too hungry to think about it nor did he really even care. The action was coming soon, everyone was here. He was going to be back to his old self soon and nothing was going to get in his way. Not death, not fear, and definently not the past.

As the many trays of food were being placed upon the table, a voice rang out suddenly.

"Hey, wait for me! I smell chicken wings!"

Nel shook her head as if she knew who it was. And it was someone quite familiar. Roger S. Huxley waltzed into the chamber and immediately plopped his little Menodix rump in a chair.

"How ya'll doing?" he asked with a big cheesy smile.

"Who is he? He looks strangely familiar. Roger?" questioned Aquaria XXVII.

"Yep, it's me! I see you didn't invite me. I saw your celestial ship and started running after it. And look where I have ended up! Just in time to eat, too!"

"Too bad, I thought we could get away with leaving him behind," said Albel in a mocking tone.

"Well, you were wrong!"

Roger stuck his tongue at Albel.

"Why stop there?" he asked himself jumping onto the table.

"Roger," the Queen of Aquaria said.

"You couldn't ditch me! Nyah, nyah! Loser!"

He shook his tail everywhere. Disturbingly, his butt went with it.

"Roger, please get off the table," Aquaria XXVII ordered politely.

"You can't ditch me! Ha, ha, ha! You can't stop me from doing my dance! Whoa, look at me and my bad self! How do you like my behind? Ho!"

"Everybody duck!" cried Nel. "Lightning Blast!"

The entire group ducked their heads just in time as bolts of lightning erupted from Nel's palm. Roger ran off the table yelping to avoid further shocking. He didn't look very happy at what his 'beautiful Nel the savior' had done to him.

"Okay, I'll be good," he said. "But you didn't have to give me static cling, woman."

"Well, now that that's settled, you shall all enjoy the feast," the Queen of Aquaria announced. "Before starting, though, I want to say that both the countries of Aquaria and Airyglyph are very grateful to have all of you defend us again. We are all in your debt."

She bowed before returning to her throne. Roger started eating first grabbing at whatever he could reach. The rest followed but more politely.

Albel only took a few things. Cliff had a food mountain piled on his plate. He seemed to add more to it just to see how tall he could get it. The sight of it made Albel hungrier. Mirage glanced at the plate and rolled her eyes.

"Don't play with your food, Cliff," she said smiling.

"Hey, I gotta get as much food as I can before everyone else takes it. Then I'll be set."

"This is gooood!" Roger complimented spraying those nearby with bits of food. "Too bad I can't tip the chef. I don't have any Fol."

"Honestly, Roger. Couldn't you finish what's in your mouth before talking?" Peppita asked annoyed.

"No."

"Does anyone wanna talk about something else?" Fayt questioned raising his voice over all of them.

"So much for a pleasant feast," said Nel.

"It's too early in the day for a feast anyway. Everyone gets too restless unless it's at night when we've all had a long day," Sophia said.

"But I'm hungry now! Me want food!" yelled the Menodix boy.

"Hey, that's from my plate!" said Maria.

"I think the food mountain is collapsing," Cliff said getting quiet.

Albel couldn't eat through all of this commotion but the show was pretty interesting. He decided to let it go on a little while longer. Besides, it probably wouldn't go on for much longer if the queen really cared enough to stop this mini-feud. Actually, he wondered why Aquaria XXVII wasn't doing anything. But why did he care anyway?

"TIMBER!" yelled Roger as the mountain on Cliff's plate started swaying.

"Cliff, would you eat before it falls over?" Mirage asked.

"Okay, okay!"

"I swear...," mumbled Nel.

"Please, can't we have a nice breakfast?" inquired Sophia. "Fayt, this isn't going well."

"I know."

"I lost my appetite anyway," Maria said resting her chin on her hands.

"Something's missing," said Peppita.

"Yeah, a food fight!" said Roger.

"No!" Nel yelled sternly.

"Aw, man..."

"It's falling over! Someone help me eat it!" Cliff yelled stuffing his face.

"I told you not to play with your food," said Mirage.

Now it was getting out of hand. This feast was becoming annoying and the queen obviously wasn't going to do anything. Albel tried glancing over at the Queen of Aquaria only to find that she wasn't even sitting on her throne. Magistrate Lasselle wasn't anywhere to be seen either.

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to stop this himself. The next thing he knew, Albel was yelling as loud as he could.

"Would you all just shut up? You maggots are acting like a bunch of rabid animals here! Would it kill you to SHUT YOUR MOUTHS?"

Everyone immediately became silent and looked at him. They all stared ready to listen to whatever else he had to say. He didn't have anymore to say though. All he had was a glare but it did enough. Albel got up and left the room. The room was still silent even as he left. That's what he had been aiming for.

Albel wasn't heading anywhere in particular. Anywhere was better than in the audience chamber with the rest of them. They probably all thought he hadn't changed at all. The group saw a little bit of the old Albel just then. Albel was a little happy at that thought. He didn't want to go soft. The old him is what he wanted to be as the new one wouldn't get anything done.

No one bothered him for the rest of the day. He knew they were discussing the war but he didn't care. The plan was to kill Greeton and save themselves from destruction. It was quite simple. He didn't need to sit through hundreds of conferences to tell him that.

Soon, the sunny sky gave way to the darkness of the night. Along with the evening came rain. Albel sat in the guest room looking out through the window listening to the rain pour on the castle. He was bored of just sitting around doing nothing. By now, he guessed that everybody else was probably asleep. He wondered where they were; there weren't many open rooms in Castle Aquaria.

Albel turned away from the window and walked outside. The halls were completely empty. At least there would be no more distractions like last time. He sauntered up the stairs bound for the White Dew Garden. He really didn't care if it was pouring ice cold rain outside.

He walked out until he was at the edge looking over the shadowed streets below. It was impossible to see anything on the streets if there was anyone. Not even the lanterns were visible but then again, they were all burned out.

Despite the icy coldness of the rain, it was rejuvenating. Albel lifted his head toward the black sky and closed his eyes. He embraced the light storm even though it practically froze his skin and completely soaked through his clothes.

He heard footsteps behind him but didn't bother to see who it was.

"Aren't you freezing out here?"

Albel recognized the voice. It belonged to Nel. She walked up to the edge staring out over the ledge.

"What are you doing here?" Albel asked opening his eyes to her shadowed face.

"I just wanted to tell you that we're going to fight tomorrow with the Black Brigade."

"First battle already?"

"Well, this is really just a test to see how tough they are. You know, to see what we are up against exactly."

"So we're guinea pigs?"

"Afraid so. I'm not exactly excited about it either. The others didn't seem to like the idea."

They both stood in silence for a minute. Nel continued to talk.

"What I want to know is what happened at the feast today," she said. "I mean, sure, everyone was acting like children but what was up with you?"

"I was tired of all their mindless racket, to tell you the truth. Somebody had to shut them up."

"That's all I needed to know. You should go inside before you catch a cold. You won't be of any use if you're ill. You should rest too."

"I don't need you to tell me that, worm."

"Okay, well, I had better be going. And if you're wondering where Adray is, it's feared that he is a prisoner. He went on a mission about a month ago in Greeton and they may have found out he was an Aquarian and taken him prisoner."

Nel sighed as he watched her walk away. Albel couldn't help but notice how her clothing clung to her body showing off her figure in the dim light. He nearly slapped himself at that thought. After a little while more, he left the garden with the next day playing at the back of his mind.

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**_Okay, I am done. Chapter VI will be coming sooner and not in two weeks. I don't want to keep you all waiting forever. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and log in for the next one. As always, please leave a review to tell me how it is so far. See ya! _**


	6. Captured

_**Here is the sixth chapter of my ongoing fan fiction. The action starts here! This is going to be a lengthy chapter, I hope. Need to keep the fans (and myself) happy! Enjoy! This is going to be a **__**LONG chapter, people.**_

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**Chapter VI: Captured **

"Wake up. It's time to go. The troops are ready and so are we."

Those were the words Albel had woken up to. Nel had rushed him out of the castle to Peterny. The town was completely empty when he arrived. The only signs of life in the street were those of the Black Brigade soldiers awaiting their captain's arrival. Strangely, several runologists were among them. Fayt and the others were there as well.

"Sir Albel, we are ready to fight," said a Black Brigade soldier.

"Good. The plan is to mercilessly slaughter those Greeton scum," Albel ordered.

"Sir!"

That was the whole point of this battle and this war. Kill those who were fighting on Greeton's side and therefore save their sorry lives was all they had to do. Now if they could only get on with this fight.

The soldier that was always guarding the closed gate to the continent of Greeton reluctantly opened it. The Black Brigade soldiers began marching taking the first foreign steps in centuries on Greeton soil. Albel and the group followed.

Fayt seemed a little relaxed. Sophia, who was marching alongside him, acted nervously. Cliff, Mirage, and Maria were obviously ready. They walked on without a look of fear on their faces. Nel was calm as she always seemed to be. Roger and Peppita, being their young age, were hopping along after all of them. Albel could sense their hidden fear. He himself was ready. But he felt a little strange ever since he had been woken up. Something kept bothering his mind throughout the night but it never actually came out in the clear. It was hiding like a frightened rodent. What he didn't know is that it would reveal itself at a most inconvenient time. For now, it would just continue to bother him.

Greeton lands were not that much different from Gaitt. All of them had the pleasure of lush green scenery. They all knew after the battle that it would be a barren wasteland.

"How much farther do we have to walk?" asked Roger.

"Until we see the enemy," said Nel. "I just know they've been waiting for us to come into their lands. We may be walking straight into a trap."

"It will take a lot more than an ambush or trap to stop my brigade. It will also be that way for me," Albel said quite confidently.

"Don't get too cocky," warned Cliff. "We are all mortal, whether you like the fact or not. A single mistake of not parrying a blow could mean your death."

"I don't plan on losing to Greeton fools. It'll take a lot of effort to make me maggot food."

"Eww," said Peppita grimacing. "You don't have to be so descriptive."

"I just hope we all live through this," Sophia said generally quiet.

"Why did the runologists come?" asked Albel. "I thought it was just the Black Brigade and us fighting today."

"Her Majesty wanted them to accompany us. She said it would make her less worried if we had magic users that could heal any survivors after the battle," Nel said.

They all kept walking on in silence. They all started to tread upon wasteland. The landscape contained few signs of plant and animal life. All there was was towering rock formations. _They'll get us here, _he thought. _I can feel it. They'll attack us here. It's the perfect spot and we're the perfect bait. _

Just then, something black and nearly invisible flew straight into the neck of a Black Brigade soldier. He fell onto the ground dead.

"That's an...," started Fayt.

"An arrow. Everyone, pull out your weapons!" ordered Nel unsheathing her daggers.

"This is my brigade, Zelpher. You can order your subordinates around but not my unit," Albel said.

All of them pulled out their weapons looking for any sign of life. They all seemed to be alone until footsteps were heard. The sounds came from humanoids resembling living rocks in the shape of humans walking from a nearby rock formation. The ones in front held swords and other blades while the ones in the very back clutched their bows and arrows. A figure in a cloak lead them all. The leader's face was covered by a hood so no one could make out an identity.

"So, you've finally come," said the figure in a voice that sounded rather like a snake's than a human's. "Fools, do you really think you can win this war?"

"Bah, you talk big, worm. I'll be causing you so much pain that you'll beg me to just kill you instead of dying a slow, painful death," Albel hissed dragging out the Crimson Scourge.

"You dream big, mortal. But your confidence won't save you from death. Gaitt shall fall and Greeton will be all-powerful. We already know it and so do you. Since we have won already, we will go easy on you for now. We'll be nice enough not to use our more advanced weapons today. I can sense your fear. I can hear every breathe you take. I can see your frightened face. I even know the time you wil die. And that time is today. Attack!"

The figure disappeared in a flash of darkness as the enemy army charged. The archers fired their arrows in the air causing everyone to run away from range. A few more soldiers couldn't get away and were shot dead. The runologists started preparing spells.

"Those who can use runology," yelled Nel. "attack the archers!"

Soon, several Lightning Strike and Laser Beams spells appeared on the archers' side of the field. The Black Brigade and the enemies with bladed weapons clashed. Albel was the first to kill several of the humanoids. It only took a few swift slashes before penetrating their stone-like skin. Fayt was nearby casting quick spells and cutting through the approaching mass. Sophia was barely visible in the distance. She was using Meteor Swarm burning those nearby to death.

Albel focused on the small group rushing toward him. He lifted his sword ready to bring it down onto the enemy. But something stopped him. An image in his mind appeared. It was the thing that had been bothering him the way here. To his horror, it was another unpleasant memory.

_Again, the fifteen year old Albel woke up aching all over but he noticed that he didn't feel anything on one of his arms. He looked at his left arm and almost screamed. An iron claw had replaced it. A nurse walked in with bandages in her arms._

_"You're awake already?" she asked._

_"What's going on?" he asked in panic._

_"You've been unconscious for days now. You almost didn't make it. The dragons were very angry."_

_Dragons? Yes, he remembered dragons. He also remembered them breathing flame upon him... but they did not touch him. His father, Glou Nox, had stepped in the way. Was he alright? _

_"Where's my father?" Albel asked calming down a bit. "And why do I have this... claw on my arm?"_

_"Do you remember any pain in your arm?"_

_"I vaguely remember burning pain but then nothing."_

_"Yes, well you lost your left arm to the dragons. They had burned it so severely we couldn't use it. The next best thing was that claw you are now wearing. About your father, well... I am sorry to say he has... he... Glou Nox is dead."_

_"Dead? No, I won't believe it!"_

_Albel bolted out of the bed. His body ached with each step he took. The nurse tried to follow but couldn't keep up._

_"Wait, come back!" she yelled. "Albel!" _

He snapped out of his memory when Fayt ran in defending against the humanoids.

"Albel, what are you doing?" he said after driving off the group. "If I hadn't been here just now, they could've killed you!"

"What? Oh, I was just a little... preoccupied."

"Stop standing around!"

Fayt charged away slashing through the oncoming horde. Albel shook his head.

"Got to get it together," he mumbled. "Can't lose to these Greeton maggots."

He continued to fight.

"Air Slash! Double Slash! Dragon Roar! Hand of Doom! Palm of Destruction!"

He pulled off one attack after another bringing down more victims. He had to stop and recooperate for a second. It seemed like was no end to them. One after the other came. The only exception was the archers which seem finished off; the arrows had ceased. Albel glanced around at the battlefield around him. Black Brigade soldiers lay everywhere dead or just about to. Runologists also lay scattered upon the ground. The sounds of blades clashing and the rings of spells filled his ears. He hadn't fought in a battle this violent in a long time.

Albel lifted the Crimson Scourge again preparing another attack. But another memory distracted him.

_He ran through the castle searching for any signs of his father. _

_"Father! Father! Father!" he kept yelling in vain._

_Albel ran up the stairs to the audience chamber. He, being in the condition that he was, had overdone it. He fell upon the floor as he left the top step. Albel gasped for air and tried to ignore the pain he had caused by all the effort._

_"Albel, what are you doing here?"_

_A younger Airyglyph XIII approached Albel and helped him up. _

_"You are not well. You must stay in bed or you will never recover. The dragons really released their fury on you," the king said._

_"My... father..."_

_"Pardon?"_

_"My father... where is... he? The... nurse told me... he was dead... But it can't be... true... can it?"_

_"I'm afraid she is right. All of those who had accompanied you to your Accession of the Flame ceremony saw it with their own eyes. Glou Nox is dead."_

_"But... but..."_

_"He sacrificed himself to save you. He burned to death in the flames. We could not save him. We almost couldn't save your life. Luckily, we had air dragons waiting outside the Barr Caves to transport you back here."_

_Albel didn't know what to say now. He was speechless. All he did was push the king away and stumble downstairs. He ran outside not knowing what he was doing. Just outside the castle gates, he bumped into something. What he saw was a familiar someone._

"Albel, watch it!"

Albel reacted just in time. A swordsman had tried aiming for a severed head but Albel ducked and thrust his blade into the chest of the enemy. Cliff jumped in suddenly ending his Acrobat Locus attack. The blue shockwaves knocked the surrounding enemy soldiers.

"What is up with you?" asked Cliff. "You were just standing there. This is no time to daydream!"

The Klausian had nothing more to say and continued pummeling the mass. He had done it again. That was the second time he had almost died. The memories were coming back and when they entered his mind, Albel couldn't tune them out until they ended. He stood strong now angry. He hadn't earned the name Albel the Wicked by letting others save his butt. It was time to bring the old spirit back.

Albel charged through slashing any that came in his way. He had to make up for the time he lost. The ground became bloodstained wherever he went. One slash after another, one pool of blood for every successful death he made. He found himself covered in blood. And though most people considered this to be something they would rather avoid, Albel loved it. He wanted more death. He wanted more blood to stain his skin.

The humanoid soldiers were finally going down in numbers. There was a terrible price for all of this, however. Everyone had finally succeeded in bringing down the number but for every humanoid killed, three Black Brigade soldiers or runologists were lost. The battle's outcome seemed to be against them.

Albel ran into Nel and Maria. They looked tired out by the look of their faces.

"Too many...," groaned Maria.

"The odds are against us. We've lost more than half of our soldiers and runologists. Our enemy number has gone down but they still have a good number left," said Nel. "I'm afraid we may have to retreat."

"I refuse to run away from these worms," Albel said. "We must continue killing them. If we run away at the first battle, they'll think we are nothing more than cowards. And I didn't come here today to lose."

He left them behind seeing that he would not get anywhere talking to them. Albel continued cutting his way through the diminishing horde. He was a bit tired by now but the oncoming threat pushed him to keep going. Suddenly, several enemy soldiers surrounded him form every side.

"Couldn't get a scratch on me unless you cheated? Worms," he said. "Vampiric Flash!"

The ground became covered in dark energy all converging to his outstretched claw. The soldiers' lives were drained out of them and they fell deceased upon the ground. He smiled in his evil way. But then, the rest of his memory came into focus.

_"I see you don't look where you're going," said a man's voice._

_Albel looked up and saw Duke Vox and his dragon, Tempest. They both looked at him. Vox's lips were curved in an evil smirk._

_"So, you survived?" Vox asked. "How's your father? Oh wait, he's dead."_

_"But... he can't-"_

_"He is dead. The proud Glou Nox is deader than dead. And it's all because of you."_

_"No..."_

_"Yes, because you failed to take your place among the knights of the Dragon Brigade, he died in the flames you should have burned in. Because you are a failure, your father sacrificed himself in hopes of prolonging your life so you can make something of yourself. He gave you a second chance at life. But I can already see that you'll waste it. His death was in vain. And you will remember that day forever. That claw is your scar."_

_"No, stop..."_

_"You are a failure."_

_"Stop saying that..."_

_"You will never be anything more than a lowly soldier."_

_"No..."_

_"You will never be like your great father."_

_"Noooooo!"_

Albel was snapped out his memory by a sharp pain in his side. He looked and it was a humanoid stabbing him in his right side with a dagger. The entire blade had been thrust into his body. The pain made him scream. The familiar Levantine suddenly flashed it's way into the soldier's back and he dropped dead. Fayt became visible.

"Albel?" he asked glancing at the dagger still embedded in his side.

Albel was unable to say anything. He himself fell on his back clutching at the hilt of the weapon and groaned in pain.

"Oh no..."

Fayt bent down beside him. He lifted Albel's head.

"Are you alright? Hold on, I'll get it out."

Before he could do anything, another humanoid cried out with his sword held high above Fayt.

"Instanto Blast!"

A small explosion followed by a show of stars and moons erupted from behind the soldier and he ran off to avoid anymore of them. Peppita hopped by the two.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Fayt pointed to the dagger and she gasped.

"Those meanies! Fayt, do you need any help with him?"

"I don't think he can fight anymore for now. We have to get him somewhere safe. But first, I have to get the dagger out."

"I can cover for you. Just hurry!"

Fayt nodded. Albel refused to remove his hands but he eventually took them off. Fayt grabbed at the hilt and yanked out the dagger as fast as he could to cause as little pain as possible. It wasn't any use as it made the pain worse.

"Oh no...," said Fayt.

"What?" Peppita asked facing the enemies around them. "I can't look right now."

"This is a poisoned dagger."

"What? How can you tell?"

"It's strange, but there are small openings here. And the blade is unusually thick at the top. The hilt... unscrews to reveal a half empty vial of poison. It's an original design for a blade. The Greetons must have invented this because there aren't daggers like this in Aquaria and Airyglyph."

"What does that mean?"

Before they could continue, someone thrust ropes around their arms. They tightened.

"Lemme go!" cried Fayt.

"What's happening?" Peppita asked panicking.

Three soldiers that looked like humans instead of the others with the rocky skin hovered over them all.

"I've heard of you three. You're the blue-haired hero that appeared out of nowhere in Airyglyph," said one.

"You came along when the blue-haired one returned to Gaitt for the hundredth time," another said.

"And you," said the largest of them all, "you're the Black Brigade captain. Seems you aren't so great now. You are all our prisoners. You, carry the captain. Looks like he was stabbed with one of the poisoned daggers."

The three were dragged off. Even though Peppita and Fayt tried fighting back, they all knew they couldn't get away now. Albel hung over the shoulder of one soldier weakened from the poison and feeling slightly sick. He finally passed out as he was carried away from the battlefield.

* * *

"Retreat! Retreat!" yelled Nel.

The remaining Black Brigade soldiers and runologists stopped fighting. They started heading for the gate leading to Peterny. Cliff, Mirage, Maria, Sophia, and Roger met up with Nel and they all started running for Peterny as well. They didn't think of anything else but the thought of escape.

Soon, the gate to Greeton closed behind them as they entered Aquarian land once more.

"We barely got out of there alive," said Cliff.

"But we're all here now," Sophia said.

"No, not all of us," Nel said looking around for something. "Where's Fayt? And Peppita's not here either. Neither is Albel."

She was silent for a second. Nel glanced at the gate as if she could see through it.

"Two things could have happened to them. Either they were killed or they've been captured..."

* * *

**_Whew, I'm done! That was a lot of typing! (I'll say it again, WHEW!) Well, I'll just go now and start on Chapter VII. Please leave a review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Ahh, my fingers are cramping! Ow, ow, owww!... Please log in for Chapter VII. (Cramping...)_**


	7. Imprisoned

_**Seventh chapter in my ongoing story. I am ready to type, type, type! Whoo! I'm getting too hyper here! You might wanna read on before I go crazy. (Although it may be too late...) Enjooooooy!**_

**_By the way, thanks for the support! I know, I'm not good with battle scenes. I would rather watch them than write about 'em. But I am... I dunno. I'm boring you people here so please go on._**

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**Chapter VII: Imprisoned **

The human soldiers had dragged them to a secret location that would have taken forever for the others to find. It was a small fort and when they went inside the walls, they saw it was also a prison. Several guards patrolled the area searching for any victims that had the misfortune of walking in on this place.

Inside the building sitting in the middle of it all, it was freezing cold despite the fact that it wasn't underground. The soldiers threw each of them in separate cells and locked the metal bar doors tight. Fayt was right across from Albel's cell but Peppita was imprisoned many cells away out of reach.

The one carrying Albel threw him onto the floor carelessly. He landed on his stomach and lost his breath for a second. He slowly lifted himself up just enough to sit. Albel was in pain. The wound from the dagger continued to ache and it was bleeding heavily. Not only that, the poison was working its black magic.

Albel sat on the cold floor feeling like he was going to vomit any second. He forced himself not to.

"Albel?"

Fayt was calling to him from his dungeon cell. Albel didn't respond.

"Are you alright? Hold on, I'll find a way to get us out. It may take a while. They took my sword."

Albel collapsed onto the floor. He was too weak to sit up. All he could do now was lay on his left side and wait. He didn't know what he was waiting for. The thoughts of rescue and death flashed in his mind.

"No!" said Fayt. "Please, hold on Albel! You can't die now! I'll get us out but you have to hang on. Stay strong!"

Hang on? That was what he was barely doing. He could feel himself drifting away as if he was flying. Maybe death was around the corner for him. Maybe later today, tomorrow, or even a minute from now he would die here. He didn't know what to think. All that came were mixed emotions.

Murmurs came from down the hallway.

"Interrogate the Black Brigade captain? What's to interrogate?"

"He doesn't need to know anything from him. He just wants someone to torture and possibly kill him."

"For the fun of it?"

"Apparently, that's all the boss wants. Suffering and victory."

"Pretty low even for me."

"The boss doesn't let you live to think. He lets you live to kill people. Go get Al-whatever and do your job."

"Fine, fine."

Soon, someone lifted Albel and he found himself hanging on a shoulder again. He was taken into a small room and cuffed to shackles hanging from wooden posts as tall as the ceiling. His feet only slightly touched the ground. Through his blurred eyes, he saw a small wooden table. Several unusual tools and blades lay upon it. Then he knew where he was. This was the torture chamber.

* * *

Nel lead the group through the wastleland. It was filled with dead enemies and allies alike. Everyone tried to look away from them but it was no use. The only good thing here was the fact that the remaining humanoids had left and were nowhere to be seen.

Nel suddenly stopped. She bent down and picked up a bloodstained sword.

"Is that...?" Sophia inquired.

"It's the Crimson Scourge, Albel's sword," said Nel standing up. "We have to hurry. There's no telling what happened or what will be happening to them."

* * *

"Lets see what we can do to you," said the interrogator. "What should we use first? What do you think?"

Albel stayed silent too weak to say anything. The interrogator sauntered up to him.

"Gonna be this way, huh?"

The interrogator lightly punched Albel's face making him groan.

"If you can't take a punch, you can say you won't last a day in here. Well, lets make your last day a painful one, eh? Ooh, I forgot I had this whip."

Albel heard the sound of something hitting the floor. Next thing he knew, he felt the lashing pangs of the whip hitting his skin over and over. He would have screamed but didn't have the energy to. Instead he groaned and even that took effort.

The lashing seemed to last forever. It seemed the whip was a favorite weapon as he didn't look bored of using it. It eventually stopped when the interrogator was relieved of duty for the day.

"Enjoy your night because it will be your last," he had said before leaving.

That night was the worst night Albel ever had to live through. It was below freezing and the whip had left him throbbing. The pain from the dagger wound had ceased and so had the bleeding. The sick feeling had not gone away, however, and he felt hot from the fever he had now claimed. Albel was forced to fall asleep hanging from the shackles. To make matters worse, another nightmare found its way to his mind.

_It had been a few days since his father had died. The funeral had happened two days before. It was a horrible day. Even some of the men had let a tear slide down their faces. The one who had cried most was Albel's mother. Albel himself stayed away from the whole thing. He couldn't bear to go to the funeral he had caused. It was too painful deep inside his heart and soul._

_All he could think about now were the words of Duke Vox. 'You're a failure. That claw is your scar. He died because you failed to take your place.' They kept playing again and again. Then there was the claw. He could not look at it without becoming outraged. He never believed he could hate something with every fiber of his being, but the claw made that belief disappear. _

_Albel, who was on the watchtower, sat on the edge. He didn't care that he was twenty feet or more above the ground. He was kind of hoping he would fall on accident and die. This world was too cruel for him. Albel wanted to leave it even if he had to go through the sharpest pain to reach what was beyond. _

_The grey clouds started to sprinkle snow upon the earth. He went inside to escape the cold. As he walked around the castle, he wondered how his mother was doing. Ever since the day of Glou's death, she just seemed to sit around in her room by the window. She would always stare out as if pondering something. It made him worry a little bit. _

_He peered inside her room. There she was in her usual spot by the window. Albel approached her._

_"Mother?" he asked._

_"Yes, Albel?"_

_He couldn't think of a conversation so he just asked a question._

_"How are you?"_

_"The same as I always am nowadays."_

_"Are you alright?"_

_"I don't know anymore. Ever since he died, I have this empty feeling I can't seem to fill."_

_"Mother... I'm sorry... This is all my fault."_

_"No, Albel. Don't say that. It's not your fault he's gone. It is destiny and fate. You can't change what is destined to happen no matter how horrible it sounds."_

_Albel stood in silence. He looked at his mother's face. Once it had been filled with light and joy. But now it seemed to be empty. There was no life on it anymore._

_The day went by and night fell upon Airyglyph. In the middle of the night as he slept, frantic voices outside his room woke him._

_"She did what?"_

_"I don't know for sure. Just come and see."_

_Albel was intrigued. He followed the people that had been talking. They were heading in a familiar direction. Finally, they turned into a room, his mother's room. He became worried and summoned his courage. Through the small opening in the door, he saw something so terrifying, he couldn't describe how horrible it was._

_A few soldiers were crowded around a woman lying on the ground lifeless. In her hand was a knife covered in blood. Her chest was bloodstained. The most horrible part of all of this was that this woman was his own mother._

_He was silenced. He couldn't take his eyes off her. What had she done? By the look of things, she had killed herself. Either that, or someone had murdered her and left this scene to hide the crime. But didn't she know what she had left behind?_

_A maid came up behind him and slowly guided Albel back to his room. She gave him a little hug and said, "I'm sorry." Sorry? A hug? These things weren't going to change anything. He was now an orphan left alone in this world. His father, dead from death by dragon fire. His mother, dead from suicide. Why was this happening to him? Was he going to be next? _

_As Albel covered himself in the thick blanket on his bed, he realized something. His mother was so miserable because of Glou's death. Her heart felt empty. She had chose to fill the empty space with the cold blade of a knife and now she was with his father in the beyond. Now he felt much more guilty than ever before. He felt responsible for the death of his mother. He had killed both of his own parents._

"Wake up, you!"

The whip found its way to his body again jerking Albel awake. He immediately felt the soreness of yesterday's lashing. The fever had not gone away either. He was starving and dehydrated. The only good thing was that the temperature went up so it was no longer below freezing.

"We have other prisoners to interrogate here so you're gonna have to die today," said the interrogator. "Seems you survived the night. But I know one thing that will ensure your death."

The interrogator grabbed a small knife. He walked up to Albel's good hand, moved the shackle to one side, and using the knife, slit his wrist.

"Yep, bleeding will kill you. Nobody is going to save you now. You'll just keep bleeding and bleeding until you finally die. Since your death is imminent, I'll let you in on a secret. Greeton has been neutral for centuries. To tell you the truth, if the demons hadn't come along, this wimpy continent would've continued to shut itself off from the world. Yeah, I said demons. The demons of the Daemonium are fed up with being confined to that one universe. So, they decided to come to the Milky Way and have a little fun. Elicoor II was an easy target so the demons are possessing the stronger, more advanced continent and using it to destroy this world. I was one of the few people who were lucky enough to keep control of my own soul. To keep my soul, I must kill anyone from Gaitt who stumbles here. Gotta go get the next prisoner. Have a happy afterlife."

Demons? This didn't make sense. Since when did demons come to the Milky Way to destroy worlds? Well, it didn't matter now. He believed he going to die. Albel's wrist continued to bleed heavily. The blood ran down his arm and dripped onto the floor. Was this how he was to die?

Suddenly, the sounds of blades and magic rang outside the door. There were voices he recognized.

"Lightning Chain!"

"Fists of Fury!"

"Flying Torpedo!"

"Aiming Device!"

The others? The door to the chamber broke down revealing Nel, Maria, Mirage, and Fayt.

"Albel!" cried Fayt.

Fayt must have been freed. Did that mean Peppita had been too? They were here to save him. Nel cut the chains hanging him in the air. Albel was far too weak to land on his feet. He fell to the ground like a lifeless doll.

Cliff, Roger, Sophia, and Peppita walked into the room.

"Eww, he's all bloody!" said Roger flinching. "And you call me nasty!"

"What happened to him?" asked Sophia.

"I don't know but we have to get him to Aquios fast. By the look of things, he isn't going to last much longer," said Nel.

"Couldn't you just use healing magic?" Cliff asked.

"Breaking in here took a lot of effort. I'm a bit tired," said Nel.

"I'm beat too," Sophia said.

"Cliff, you'll have to carry him. He can't walk himself. None of us can carry him either."

"Whatever you say, Nel. But this is going to be awkward."

They ran outside running as fast as they could for Aquios. Plus, they didn't want to be here any longer.

"Man, they slit his wrist. Looks like he's been whipped too," said Cliff. "What's with the gash on his side? His face is red and flushed. Too many injuries to count."

"He was stabbed with a poisoned dagger before we were captured. I saw him in his cell and he didn't look like he was feeling too well," Fayt explained.

"All we can do now is hope," said Sophia.

* * *

_**Done! Poor Albel, I'm sorry I had do this to you! It's all part of the story. Well, please leave a review and I'll update with Chapter VIII soon. Hope you are enjoying this story so far! **_


	8. Voices

_**I'm finally back with the last chapter. Don't fear! I'm making a sequel that will continue the story. I'm sorry it took SOOOO freaking long. When I get writer's block, I get it for a long time. But I finally got an idea (or ideas, I should say). Here's the end of this story and the beginning to the next story! Hope you enjoy!**_

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**Chapter VIII: Voices**

It had been days since the first battle with Greeton. And yet, everyone who had participated was just now getting back to the normal way of life. There had been so many people to heal and endless fears to comfort. For the time being, the situation had settled down.

The group was currently in Airyglyph. They had been charged with escorting the last of the surviving Black Brigade soldiers to the castle. The King of Airyglyph was in a meeting with other important figures from both Airyglyph and Aquaria, leaving everyone else to wait until it ended.

Albel stood on the watch tower despite the freezing snow. He sensed a voice in the back of his mind. He knew it was important but he couldn't hear its message. It frustrated him. All there was was silence.

* * *

"My Lord, their first attempt was pathetic. We easily won."

"Good. But what of my target?"

"The Black Brigade Captain?"

"Yes. Was he taken to the torture chamber and killed?"

"Unfortunately, a few of his acqaintances came and freed him. According to our reports from the spies, he's still alive."

"Hmm... Well, I didn't want to put forth effort for this, but I guess I'll have to add my touch. You are dismissed."

"Yes, My Lord."

With a wave of its hand, the one called Lord started to speak in a snake-like voice, "_Come to me..."_

* * *

Albel was about to leave for the castle below, but then the silent voice came clear and loud.

"_Come to me..."_

He stood completely still listening for it again.

"_Come to me... All will be made clear..."_

_What was to be clear? _he thought.

"_The questions you cannot answer will be made clear... Come to me... Leave Gaitt... It is the only way..."_

He became suspicious of what the voice said. Was it a trap made by his own mind? Or would it sort everything out? Would the answers it spoke of help win this war and save Gaitt? Albel couldn't be sure. Nothing was simple anymore. After the nightmare in Duggus Forest, everything became difficult. There were millions of questions and yet, no answers.

Albel decided not to listen and went downstairs to wait. The King's meetings occupied him well into the night forcing everyone to go to sleep and wait for morning. As the crimson-eyed warrior slept soundly, he had a dream. The message came back.

"_Come to me... Your friends will only slow you down... Your country will slow you down... Only you can sort out your own problems..."_

Albel tossed and turned, but it did not cease.

"_The answers will be made clear..."_

He woke and sat up in his bed. It still did not go away.

"_If you do not make the journey yourself, no one else will..."_

He knew what he had to do. Albel walked out of his room silently passing the other rooms. He exited the castle gates and left the city of Airyglyph. Now he knew he had a new journey. Countries and wars were not the only things in life. It was one of those times when the only way to get what you wanted was to get it yourself.

The snow started to fall more harshly. Not long after, a light blizzard hit. Albel braced the winds and cold. He began to think that he would not make it back for a while. He approached a pile of fresh snow. He unsheathed the Crimson Scourge and thrust it into the snow. If anyone found it, they would know he had left.

And he continued on.

* * *

Nel woke up sensing something was not quite right. She got out of bed and strolled through the hallways to find Albel's door open. She knew he usually kept it closed.

She peered inside to see his bed empty. Nel then heard a gate close from somewhere downstairs. She looked down from the stairs to see a maid closing the entrance gates.

"Did someone go outside?" she asked.

The maid turned around startled but relaxed when she saw Nel.

"I don't know why someone would go outside on a night like this. It's a blizzard out there," answered the maid. "But someone obviously left."

Nel was intrigued by the open gate and Albel's absence. She soon entered the dark, empty streets of the city. Barely visible in the snow were footprints leading out to the Traum Mountains. The Aquarian followed them.

She lost track of the footprints near the end of the bridge and was beginning to go back when she spotted a figure in the snow. With difficulty, Nel went up to it and became speechless. In the snow sat the Crimson Scourge. The only person with this sword was Albel.

She went down to her knees, removing the sword and placing it in her lap. Nel looked to the sky.

"Why did he leave?" she asked.

Nel tightly clutched the sword knowing what her next mission was to be.

* * *

**_Kinda short and crappy, but the sequel is coming. I think I'll call it, "Perfect Symmetry." So look for a story with that title! Please review and I'll see you in the sequel! Hope you wanna continue the series! _**


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